County Clerk > Elections

The Lincoln County Clerk is charged with supervision all Federal, State and Local primary and general elections conducted in Lincoln County. This supervision does not extend to special elections conducted by the Board of Education, municipal elections and other such elections. Those special elections are supervised by the governmental agency calling the election.

Any democracy, any election process, any act of fairness, begins with defining who gets to participate in the electoral process and who does not. Supervision of this matter is handled by voter registration. While the Federal Constitution guarantees almost every adult the right to vote, voting in official governmental elections must be done in an orderly fashion and in a manner that is fair to all.

Voter registration is very important in the electoral process. It guarantees that, while everyone who is entitled gets to vote, it also prevents those not entitled from voting and prevents those entitled from doing it twice.

The County Clerk is charged with making sure that everyone who is entitled to vote in Primary and General Elections, as well as countywide special elections, gets to exercise that right. Everyone who votes must be registered with the County Clerk 30 days prior to Election Day.

To make voting orderly and verifiable (which lends it credibility and legitimacy), Lincoln County is divided into 16 precincts or voting locations. This makes it much more convenient. If everyone just voted wherever they wanted to, some polling places would have lines a mile long and others might be empty.

When you register to vote, you are assigned a polling place or precinct which is your home precinct and where you are permitted to cast your ballot. Your precinct assignment is based on your residential address. It is important that you keep the County Clerk informed of your current address. If you have moved since the last election, you should re-register at your new address, which may or may not change your voting location.